FedEx Foundation
/OVERVIEW: FedEx supports entrepreneurship and access to jobs and opportunity for the underserved in the United States and around the world. It also supports disaster relief and recovery efforts as well as disaster preparedness and management projects.
IP TAKE: FedEx tends to give to large- to medium-sized players working with women and minority entrepreneurs and in sustainable transportation. It also uses its fleets to help communities deal with disasters by transporting supplies, medicine and basic needs to the places where they are needed. A significant portion of its philanthropy consists of signature programs and collaborations. This funder is not particularly accessible however; it does not accept applications for funding, and only nonprofits working outside of the U.S. and Canada can submit inquiries. Networking with local management may be the only way in here.
PROFILE: The FedEx Cares is the charitable arm of FedEx Corporation (originally Federal Express), the international courier service headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. With its recently launched 50 by 50 initiative, FedEx aims to “positively impact 50 million people around the world” by its 50th anniversary in 2023. The foundation aims to use the “business and logistics expertise and the passion of our team members and apply them to help solve some of the world’s problems.” FedEx currently has several main focus areas: Delivering for Good, Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Logistics.
Grants for Work and Opportunity
FedEx’s Global Entrepreneurship area of grantmaking “is committed to giving women and minority entrepreneurs everywhere the tools they need to succeed.” In a recent year, grantmaking has also prioritized veterans and disabled owners of small business and startups through a sub-program, the FedEx Entrepreneur Fund, which awarded 30 $10,000 in collaboration with the nonprofits Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network. A signature program, the FedEx E-commerce Learning Lab helps women- and minority-owned businesses expand their e-commerce operations. Other grantees in this space include the United Way Mumbai, the Babson College Black Women Entrepreneurial Leadership Program and Brazil’s Accion Venture Lab.
Grants for Disaster Relief and Public Health
FedEx’s Delivering for Good program lends the company’s “global network and unparalleled logistics expertise to organizations with mission-critical needs in times of disaster.” The foundation often coordinates with major disaster response and relief organizations, such as the American Red Cross, Feeding America, and Salvation Army, in its supply delivery undertakings. Outside those coordinated efforts, the foundation supports emergency relief and response agencies around the world. The FedEx Foundation lends a hand in disaster resilience building efforts, as well as disaster management—for example, helping develop an interactive mapping tool to allow NGOs to view where their resources are heading and to avoid shortages or overages. During the pandemic, FedEx has devoted much of its energies in this area to aiding the global crisis.
Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy
FedEx’s grantmaking for climate change stems from its Sustainable Logistics program, which aims “to help the logistics industry and communities we serve move people and goods more sustainably.” The program’s recent grantmaking has focused on sustainable public transportation and environmental restoration. In India, FedEx has supported Three Wheels United, which “provides efficient financing for light electric vehicles.” Stateside, the foundation has collaborated with One Tree Planted, Memphis City Beautiful and CALSTART, an organization that helps cities transition to electric buses and other sustainable forms of transportation.
Important Grant Details:
FedEx does not provide information about its individual grant values, but grantseekers can get a sense of this funder’s recent work via the profiles posted on its the FedEx cares page.
FedEx Cares does not accept applications for funding and does not provide a direct avenue for getting in touch. However, grantseekers operating outside of the U.S. and Canada may email FedEx cares with inquiries. All others, should network with local management to explore grantmaking opportunities.
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